The present invention relates to a runner for covering a carpet against becoming soiled and/or wet, and more particularly, to a runner for temporary use at hotels, theaters, or houses so as to prevent the carpets from being spoiled with muddy footprints on rainy days. Hereinafter the runner is called the carpet runner or merely the runner.
Generally speaking, carpets are difficult to launder when they become soiled. On rainy days walkers' shoes bring mud onto the carpet, and the mud stays in between the piles of the carpet. To prevent the carpets from becoming soiled or wet, the common practise is to cover them with runners. A typical example of the known runners is illustrated in FIG. 6, which will be described in detail:
A runner is normally stored in a roll. When in need, it is unrolled and placed on a carpet (A). The runner is generally made of soft plastics, and narrower in width than the carpet (A). The illustrated runner has edge zones 42 at opposite sides and a walking zone 41 in the center. The walking zone 41 is provided with a rugged face 1a on top, and spikes 1b on the bottom. The rugged face 1a is designed to prevent the walkers from slipping on the wet runner, and the spikes 1b are designed to secure the runner to the carpet (A).
The problems of the known runner are that when the carpet (A) has high piles, the walking zone 41 sinks deep in the piles, and warps as a whole with the edge zones 42 rising above the carpet (A). Another problem is that when the runner is unrolled, the edge zones 42 become wavy, which results from the rolled state in stock. The walkers on the carpet (A) are in danger of stumbling over the rising, wavy edge zones 42. What is worse, the appearance of the carpet is spoiled by the rising, wavy edge zones of the runner.
The present invention is directed to a carpet runner which solves the problems encountered by the known carpet runners, and has for its object to provide a carpet runner placeable flat on a carpet without projecting any obstacle for the walkers thereon.
Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description, when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings which show, for the purpose of illustration only, one embodiment in accordance with the present invention.
According to the present invention there is provided a carpet runner for temporarily covering a carpet to prevent it from becoming soiled, the carpet runner including a walking zone in the center, and edge zones at either side of the walking zone, wherein the edge zones are heavier than the walking zone.